Friday 5: Five Arizona things not found on Arizona Writer

OK, so I know I said I'm starting a Friday 5 feature, in addition to getting my butt in gear on the Species posts, but seriously, have you met my kid? Add to that the fact that it's summer break, and here's a breakdown of each day's time:
In "Working" you have to include my published writing and photography, all the background work those both entail, the occasional attempt I make toward housework, and blogging. Since deadlines and the garbage collector don't wait for me to get my act together, Friday 5 took a break. But it's back, because I've been asked a few times about the scope of "Arizona Writer" ("Why didn't you cover X?"), so I decided to make a post about it.

Five Totally Relevant Things You Probably Won't Read About On This Site:

1. Politics
If you know me, and definitely if you've shared a meal, drink, or Facebook thread with me; you know I have political opinions. On some issues, I have Opinions. Seriously. However, I just don't (usually) see them as the purview of this blog. Immigration. Guns. Education. These are insanely important issues, but they aren't "Arizona" issues, even when we're in the unfortunate glare of the spotlight. They're everyone issues.

2. Stuff everyone else is covering
If I do a post about Antelope Canyon, or the Grand Canyon, or Sedona, you can bet I'll find something weird and dorky and cheesy with which to be obsessed. I'm the kid who went to the African veldt exhibit and spent half an hour watching the anthill on the sidewalk. I see things differently, which I think is probably my strength and weakness. So, go find the popular literature about the Grand Canyon to plan your trip. I'll tell you about the tiny purplish frogs, secret waterholes, or the story my friend shared about hiding from a horror-movie noise that turned out to be a bison licking a fireside guitar.

3. Celebrities
Yeah. I really just don't care.

4. Sports
See #3. I got home from a day at ASU the one day, and complained at length to my husband and his friend about the insane -- insane even for Mill Avenue -- traffic. Where were all the people coming from? My husband and his buddy just about throttled me. Apparently there was a game against U of A, and a few people thought it was kind of a big deal. Psh. I was meeting with some astronomers. Waaay more important, if you ask me.

5. Bad news
I won't say never on this one. But I seek out things to explore and love about my home, so even when I do write about bad news, I usually have a "how to preserve the good stuff" slant to it. Finding the diamond-in-the-rough (OK, turquoise-in-the-dirt) good bits I think really is something that's particularly well suited to Arizona. It looks rough and harsh and dirty ... and the land too, not just the people. But then you round a bend on a road you didn't mean to take (and trust me, I'm a master at that technique) and all of a sudden cliffs and mountains peel away on either side of the car, and huge bluffs loom in the distance, and a veritable sea of saguaros looms in a canyon right beneath you ... this is Arizona. And, OK, so some of that stuff is in other states too. It's everyone issues, just like the politics. But the things here are usually the things that Arizona does best -- bugs, clouds, mountain drives, murderously high heat, incredible views. That's what I had in mind when I named the site.

Well, that, and funny stories about my Arizona-based foibles. Next up: Either the time I got lost in the mountains and ended up drinking leeches, the time my husband and I ran away from an elk, or the time I pushed my mom off a cliff by accidentally imitating a rattlesnake.